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TERRAS: There's no quick fix for Matthews, insists Critchell

KYLE Critchell has called on everyone associated with the Terras to give Jason Matthews time to implement his ideas.

Weymouth may remain a big name in non-League football but the 26-year-old believes returning the club to its former glories will take years not months.

Commenting on Matthews’ appointment as permanent manager, Critchell told Echosport: “Knowing Jason as long as I have, he has always kept himself very fit and taken his football really seriously.

“I know he wants to prolong his playing career for a bit longer, and he will probably still do that, but the chance to become Wey-mouth manager has come along and I think it has really put things into perspective for him.

“It is a massive opportunity and I have no doubts he will do the best he can to move the club forward.”

He continued: “I have played alongside Jason for various different teams and at various stages of my career, and I have the utmost respect for him.

“He has always given me support and he knows what the game is all about.

“The most important thing now is that he is given the time to develop things.

“The whole structure at the club, from top to bottom, needs to be amended and fixed, and that cannot be done in six months, it takes years.

“The foundations need to be built first, and once they are in place, the club can then hopefully move forward, from the youth structure right up to the first team.”

Rightly or wrongly, former boss Brendon King was often criticised for not having enough contacts in the game, but this should not be a problem for Matthews, who has been around the non-League circuit for the last 15 years.

Critchell said: “Jason knows a lot of people that can help him and I think that is important.

“He has already shown that by bringing in Jake Green from Bristol Rovers and he also has connections with the likes of Bristol City and Exeter City too.

“The club has not got a lot of money at the moment, so he is going to need to find a way of producing players through the youth system and the reserve team.

“Whoever he brings in as his assistant needs to be able to help with that and have a good understanding of the local scene.

“Like everything, it all comes down to a money situation, and at the end of the day the club needs to run within its means.”

Critchell returns to work today for the first time in six months after recovering from a severe bout of sepsis, which almost claimed his life last year.

The defender, who can also play in midfield, still harbours hopes of returning to the field one day but he admits he still has a long way to go.

“Personally, I am very much in limbo at the minute,” Critchell went on to add. “I have been to see the specialist in Oxford and he has basically given me three scenarios, and all I can do at the moment is keep driving up there for scans to see how my hip is, and how the infection is going.

“Certain questions cannot be answered at the moment but I am being seen by some of the best medical people in the country, if not the world, so I am in the best hands and very thankful for that.

“The whole experience has been very traumatic and although I still hope to play again one day, this is about my life outside of football too, and I need to make sure everything is right.”

Critchell is currently helping Jake Richmond out with the reserves and is looking forward to being around the club more and more over the coming weeks.